Surrogate Angel Part 2
by Caseworker-14
Summary: Sequel to Surrogate Angel part 1. Monica is now in her second trimester and her pregnancy is moving along smoothly, until an unexpected enemy shows up... Please R&R.
1. Chapter 1

**Surrogate Angel – Part 2**

**Author: Alexandra Lucier**

**Disclaimer: All the angels in this story belong to Martha Williamson**

**Chapter 1**

"Good morning, Andrew." Gloria greeted with a friendly smile as she strode through the kitchen doorway of their temporary apartment on assignment. Her friend Andrew stood over the stove, clearly struggling to make a simple, bacon-and-eggs breakfast. "Morning." He returned without looking up as he flipped a dish towel over one shoulder and removed some sizzling bacon from the frying pan onto a plate.

See, these two were actually angels, sent to earth by God to help people in need. To be specific, Gloria was what they call a caseworker, which meant she met and helped people with life-typical problems. Andrew, on the other hand, was an Angel of Death, which basically meant he helped with the transition between life and death for humans. He really enjoyed his job, but right now he had a different one.

"So, where's Monica?" Gloria inquired, referring to the third of the angelic trio, as she snatched a steaming piece of bacon for herself before placing the plate down on the kitchen table. Monica was Gloria's supervisor. She was also a caseworker and, right now, she was on a very _special _assignment. She was pregnant with the child of a young couple who lived just down the road. The Tuckers could never have children of their own and Monica had been assigned to be their surrogate mother for the time being.

Andrew sighed in an irritable manner and motioned to the bathroom with a slight roll of his eyes. His meaning was clear enough. Monica had been throwing up for days now with a serious case of morning sickness. Gloria nodded in understanding and sighed as well as if agreeing with him.

Andrew then dropped the dishtowel on the counter and moved over to the closed bathroom door. Raising a gentle fist to it, he knocked to check on his friend. "Monica? You okay in there?" He questioned with a knowing smirk in Gloria's direction. Inside, Monica stood leaning over the sink, a sickening feeling in her stomach assuring her that any minute now, she could easily loose her dinner from the night before. _Oh, the joys of human form. _She mused to herself as she placed a single hand on her five-months-pregnant belly. She was already showing a good deal, though it wasn't terribly obvious. Her stomach was swollen enough for anyone who already knew to see it easily.

"Yes, I'll be right out." She called back to her caring friend on the other side of the door, though a touch of illness still resided in the tone of her distinct, Irish lilt. Andrew nodded, even though he knew his friend couldn't see him through the door and turned back to Gloria with a helpless shrug. She shrugged as well in return and popped another piece of bacon in her mouth as she seated herself at the kitchen table with the rest of the food.

Just then, the bathroom door swung open and Monica stepped out again and headed straight for the table, where she sat next to her charge and dropped the weight of her head into her hands. She just felt horrible. But she knew that it would pass, as it always did after a little while. She was getting used to it. Sometimes she didn't even feel it anymore.

"Can I get you something?" Andrew ventured in a tender loving voice as he eyes his pregnant friend from where he still stood in the kitchen. She turned to him and flipped her long, auburn hair over her shoulder so she could see properly. "Yeah, coffee please." She replied in a voice so low that Andrew almost didn't hear her, but when he heard her request, he was quick to correct her on the matter. "Decaf." He conditioned as he reached over to grasp the coffee pot and poured her a cup. But this pushed Monica's buttons more than a little, as she then swiveled around in her chair to glare over at Andrew in the kitchen. "You want to live to see this baby?" She snapped irritably as she gestured to her growing belly meaningfully. Normally Andrew would have taken this personally, but his friend's raging hormones had been getting the better of her for weeks now. He simply rolled his eyes and ignored her outburst as he poured the coffee and carried it over to the table, where he then seated himself next to her, although he was sure to leave a decent distance between them.

"Oh, Monica don't forget, you have that doctor's appointment later this morning." Andrew reminded his friend as he scooped himself a slap of scrambled eggs. Monica nodded briefly as if he had been helpful, but he saw her roll her eyes when she thought he wasn't looking. But Gloria seemed interested, as she raised her eyebrows over her glasses in clear attention as she sipped her orange juice. "Are you going to find out the sex of the baby?" She ventured curiously as she placed her juice glass back down on the table in front of her and started on her own eggs.

But Monica shook her head. "No, Abby and Mike said they don't want to know until the baby's born." She replied before taking a bite of her bacon. Andrew was about to make some smart remark when Monica answered Gloria in a friendly manner instead of biting her head off like she did to him all the time, but he quickly thought better of it when he realized what that might bring up. "Well, do you want me to go with you?" He inquired instead, forcing his voice to stay at a calm, almost-loving tone. Monica glanced up from her plate and opened her mouth to retort sharply again, but Gloria was quick to save Andrew the blow.

"Um, no Andrew. You'd better stay here with me. Tess and Adam are coming over later, remember?" She recalled quickly and Andrew wasted no time in nodding in understanding until Monica looked away and then he mouthed a 'thank you' in Gloria's direction. She nodded and continued with her breakfast.

Tess and Adam were also angels and Monica's good friends. Tess was Monica's old supervisor and Adam was also an Angel of Death. As she thought on this, Monica suddenly realized that she hadn't told Adam she was pregnant yet and she would have to when he came over…she would also have to try a little harder to control her temper around Tess.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Hi, I'm Dr. Cheshire and I'm going to be doing your sonogram today." The doctor introduced himself as he closed the examination room door quietly behind him. He briefly shook hands first with Monica, who was already sitting on the examination table, and then with the Tuckers, who stood in the opposite corner of the room expectantly. He then dropped the file folder he had in his hand on the counter and made his way back over to Monica. "So, Monica, is it?" He recalled in a friendly manner as he patted her shoulder welcomingly. Monica smiled and nodded in return as she sat up a little straighter. But then Dr. Cheshire motioned to the table and moved over to the sonogram machine. "Well, Monica, if I could just get you to lay down here, we'll get the ultra-sound started." He instructed with an added smile as he switched on the machine and switched off the lights.

Monica obeyed immediately and lay flat on her back on the table. She couldn't say she had ever done this before, and to be truthful, it was sort of scary and exciting at the same time. She was about to see the baby for the first time and she wasn't exactly sure how it was going to make her feel. Throughout the entire pregnancy so far, she had never allowed herself to forget that this wasn't _her _baby. But it still felt so amazing to have a tiny life growing inside her.

"Okay, everything here looks good." Dr. Cheshire grinned broadly as he lifted Monica's shirt enough to reveal her swollen belly and ran over it with some sort of small device that was hooked up to the machine. Some sort of blurred image appeared on the screen, but they couldn't see much yet. Although they could suddenly here a quiet buffeting sound drifting throughout the darkened room "Alright, here that?" He beamed cheerfully, obviously referring to the strange sound they were all hearing. They each nodded in understanding, though they weren't exactly sure what they were hearing. Of course, Dr. Cheshire was quick to explain. "That's the baby's heartbeat." He informed them all, knowing how happy they must have been to hear that. Mike and Abby exchanged excited glances as they listened. They couldn't believe it. That was so incredible!

Monica was actually surprised to find joyful tears tighten in her throat as she lay there. But then something even more amazing happened. The picture on the screen cleared and everyone saw the baby for the first time. It was there on the machine clear as day. They could easily make out the head and shoulders and even the legs and arms a little. There it was. _That _was the tiny life growing inside of Monica. This combined with the gentle sound of the heartbeat still floating through the room, easily caused the tears to fall freely from Monica's honey-brown eyes over her angelic features. That was so unbelievable! She couldn't wait to tell Andrew and Gloria about this.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Hey, I'm back." Monica announced cheerfully as she strode through the doorway of their apartment after the walking back from the doctor's office. Gloria and Andrew quickly glanced up from their spots at the kitchen table, where they were reading different sections of the newspaper and smiled a greeting. "So?" Andrew pried as he watched his friend approach the table. Luckily for him, Monica was feeling much better now and not in the mood for snapping at him.

She instead reached into her pocket with an excited smile and pulled forth a sonogram picture she had brought home from the doctor's in great anticipation to show her friends. "Look." She smiled proudly as she handed the small bit of photo paper to Andrew, who took one look before amazement and disbelief found its way into his heart and he immediately stood from where he sat and embraced his pregnant friend lovingly. "Oh, that's incredible." He breathed almost tearfully as he kissed the top of her head tenderly. She accepted the hug gratefully. But then Gloria wasted no time in standing from her own spot and snatching the picture excitedly out of Andrew's hand the moment he had drawn back from Monica.

Her jaw dropped and she gasped when she saw the little ultra-sound picture. "Oh, it's so beautiful." She exclaimed before she too, wrapped her arms around her supervisor in some form of rejoice. Monica only laughed in response as Andrew then stepped forward again and they all shared a group hug for a long moment. When they finally pulled apart, Gloria handed the photo back to Monica and she slipped it back in her pocket before turning and heading for her bedroom. "Well, guys, I'll be right back. I have to go and change before Adam and Tess get here." She then disappeared into her bedroom with a brief wave in her friends' direction. She loved them so much and was so glad they were being so supportive.

The truth was she going to change into a looser shirt for Adam, so hopefully he wouldn't notice anything different about her. She hadn't seen Tess in a while either, but knew she would notice, as she already knew anyway. But she was sure enough that Adam hadn't a chance of noticing. He wasn't the sharpest angel on the force. But she loved him. She had worked with him a lot before she became a caseworker. She still saw him around from time to time, for example today. She was planning on telling him about the baby, but she didn't want him to just walk through the door and say 'hey! You're pregnant.' That just wouldn't work.

But before she had even finished changing, she heard a knock on the apartment door and called for Andrew or Gloria to get it. She knew very well who it was and rushed the rest of the job, pulling her looser shirt quickly over her head and smoothing it out across her growing belly before hurrying out to greet Tess and Adam.

Sure enough, there they stood in the doorway, receiving hugs of greeting from both Gloria and Andrew. She waved a hello and rushed over to give them her own greeting. Tess beamed broadly when she saw her and quickly embraced her old pupil, only eyeing her stomach only for a brief moment, as not to let Adam on board with the secret. Adam quickly gave Monica a hug and kiss on the cheek and, just as she had suspected, he didn't seem to notice anything. He simply smiled a hello and inquired as to how she was doing.

"Good. Really good." She replied as the small group then headed over to the living room and seated themselves on the couch and in chairs. "But how about you?" She questioned, clearly desperate to change the subject before it even started. Adam nodded and smiled in response to the matter. "Can't complain." He shrugged as though he had nothing to report. They all spoke small talk for a little while and Monica could tell that Andrew and Gloria were just waiting for her to let the cat out of the bag so they actually had something to talk about other then the weather, or their jobs. Finally, after about fifteen or twenty minutes, Monica found the signal she was waiting for when Adam asked her another question.

"So, Monica, what's new with you? I haven't been seeing a whole lot of you lately." He reminded curiously as he stared over at her from the couch, to where she was sitting in an armchair. Monica took this as an opportunity and stood from her position. "Actually, Adam, I _do _have something I would like to speak with you about." She motioned for him to follow her as she began to make her way over to the bedroom again, where she knew they would at least have some privacy. Adam raised his eyebrows, clearly clueless as to what his old friend was talking about, but stood to follow regardless.

He followed her into the bedroom, where she shut the door gently behind them. Adam then turned to look at her with an expectant expression. It was obvious enough that he had no idea what was going on. "So, Monica, what's this about?" He ventured curiously as he rested his hands in his pockets in that way he did when he was uncomfortable. Monica sighed and quickly thought over her words in her head before she spoke them. "Adam, you'd better sit down this is pretty big." She suggested quietly as she avoided his gaze and motioned to the bed. Adam obeyed with minimal hesitance and nodded once he was seated for her to go on.

"What's going on?" He pressed softly as he made eye contact with her and held it purposefully. Monica pushed her amber hair behind her ears as a way of occupying herself as she stammered for words. But Adam quickly reached out and took her hand, as if trying to tell her that whatever was about to come out of her mouth, he would be fine with it. Of course he never EVER expected what she said next. She decided to just tell him, plain and simply. "I'm pregnant." She told him clearly as she then took over control of the conversation. Adam's jaw hung open and he dropped her hand back on the bed in shock. He rolled over several possibilities in his mind as to why this had come about, but could find none that fit Monica's description.

Monica could easily tell that he was desperately attempting to come up with some explanation for all of this and quickly made the decision to help him out. "See, my assignment is this young couple, the Tuckers, and they can never have children of their own. And so I…" But before the words even escaped Monica's lips, Adam had finished the sentence for her in a tasteful manner. "You decided to help them out." He assumed correctly as he glanced down at her swollen belly in understanding. It was quite clear that she was pregnant. He wondered why he hadn't noticed it before.

Monica nodded in confirmation and seriously hoped Adam would understand. He was quiet for a long, awkward moment as he considered the situation seriously in his mind. Finally, he broke the silence again. "Well, you're really going to do this then, huh?" He whispered in disbelief, as he was unable to get the matter out of his mind. Monica smiled and nodded somewhat helplessly before pulling forth that sonogram picture again to show him.

He took it slowly and stared at it for a good minute and a half before he spoke again. "Well, this is amazing." He told her with a proud smile before placing the picture down on the bed again and leaning forward to give Monica another hug. She accepted it happily, clearly grateful that Adam had taken this so well.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"I want both Monica and the baby rid of, do you understand?" The very master of evil himself told his demon, Gregory. But the demon seemed unclear on this matter as he questioned it. "But sir, I don't understand. It's not _her _baby really. So, how can it be a threat to us?" He inquired curiously, the answer to this was clearly not as obvious to him as it was to his boss. But the devil seemed angered by this, as he would've thought that his best soldier would be brighter than this.

"Gregory honestly!" He exclaimed in disbelief as he shook his head distastefully. But he eventually made the decision that if he wanted it done, then he would have to explain it to him. "Gregory, that child – whether it realizes it or not – will be part angel! And he or she will grow up to be more than likely just like our Monica here. We can't have that. That's the last thing we need." He assured Gregory confidently, a tone of anger entering his voice as he thought of the little Irish angel who was their greatest threat of all. But the demon still seemed unsure, and therefore, his master decided it would be best if he took over himself.

"Oh, forget it. You're pathetic." He snarled hatefully as he pushed last his servant, but just as he was leaving, he stopped momentarily to call back over his shoulder. "I'll take care of this myself…in fact I might just enjoy it. I've done it before and I can do it again." He reminded with an evil grin before disappearing into the darkness. Gregory watched him go and shook his head with a slightly humored expression. Sometimes he wasn't quite sure why he worked for a kook like him, but then again, he knew the benefits were so much better over here.

"Yeah, that's right. We'll be out tonight. But if you're more comfortable at the house than your apartment, then you're welcome to stay here while we're gone." Abby informed Monica over the phone from her house, speaking to the angel in her own apartment. "I might just do that. Thank you." Monica took the invitation gratefully before saying her goodbyes and hanging up the phone. She then turned and strode back into the kitchen, where Andrew was seated comfortably at the table, reading the paper again. He wasn't quite sure why he did such things, but it was interesting to find out what was going out with humans in the world.

"Who was that?" Andrew ventured curiously as he refolded the paper in his hands and placed it down on the table before him. Monica sighed and seated herself in the chair next to her friend. "Abby." She replied with a smile as she placed a hand on her pregnant belly meaningfully. It still amazed her that she had another life inside her. One with a heart and mind all its own.

"I'm going over the their place tonight while their out." She explained with a thankful smile as she brushed a stray strand of her ginger hair out of her face. "They thought I might be more comfortable there." She continued with a brief shrug. Andrew thought about this for a moment before responding. "Do you want me to go with you?" He offered kindly, not wanting his friend to be alone at a time like this. But she merely shook her head no. "Thank you, Andrew, but I think I might actually enjoy being alone with the baby for a little while." She told him with a grateful smile just the same. He nodded in understanding, though he still wasn't sure he would be comfortable with her being alone for too long during her pregnancy. After comprehending on this thought for a few, silent moments, he decided on the solution to this.

"Well, here." He began as he reached across the table for a pen and began scribbling something on a corner of the newspaper, which he then tore off and handed it to her. "Here's my pager number. If you need anything, anything at all, you can beep me okay?" He told her with a serious expression as she took the small corner of paper gratefully. "Thanks." She repeated honestly as she smiled again sweetly before patting Andrew's hand as another sign of thanks. She then stood from her seat and headed over to the door before waving goodbye to her friend and disappearing out into the hallway. Andrew watched her go with a solemn expression and wondered if he had done the right thing in letting her go.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Monica arrived at the Tuckers' a few minutes later. They had already gone, but she had brought along a book on pregnancy and childbirth and casually seated herself on the couch to read it. Certain parts of it were a little frightening, but she pressed on through the pages, knowing she had to be prepared for whatever was to come. But after she had been reading for about an hour, she realized she needed a break right away. Some of this stuff was just so overwhelming.

She stood from her comfortable perch on the couch and headed over to the kitchen to grab herself something to eat. Pulling open the fridge door, she reached in to snatch an apple off of the bottom shelf, but just as she drew back and closed the door again, she was almost certain she had seen something out of the corner of her eye out the kitchen window. Had that been her imagination? No, there it was again. Some sort of movement outside the window. For a moment, she assured herself it was just the neighbors' kids playing hide and seek, but something deep inside suddenly made her heart pound so loudly she was sure people could hear it for miles around. What was that and why was it making her feel so afraid all of a sudden? For all she knew it could just be a squirrel or a stray cat, but again, that tiny feeling inside of her told her otherwise.

After staring out the window for a long, silent moment, Monica eventually decided it would just be best to prove it to herself that it was nothing. Moving over to the front door, she turned the doorknob and swung it open, half expecting to look around and see nothing at all. At first, that's all she _did _see. But then she felt her heart drop into the depths of her stomach as her eyes feel upon the truth behind all this. Somewhere in her heart, she felt she knew this would happen all along, but had forced herself to believe otherwise.

But now Monica froze in fear, as this was very real indeed. Right there, on the Tuckers' front lawn, stood a lion. But not one of the gentle, beautiful lions you would find at the zoo. Oh no. This one did not escape from the zoo at all. Nor did it look at all friendly. This one Monica had encountered before and she knew who it was. Satan himself stood before her and as much as she hated to admit it, she knew why he was here.

For a moment the two just stood there, staring back at one another, angel and devil in a sort of stalemate, each waiting to see what the other would do. But then Monica's pursuer let out a long, terrifying roar that seemed to shake the very planet itself beneath her feet. As if by instinct, Monica's right hand immediately strayed to rest upon her slightly swollen belly, as if preparing to protect the baby from whatever was about to come. She wasn't afraid for herself, but she wanted to keep the infant growing inside her from harm more than anything else in this world. And so, when her enemy allowed another, ground-breaking roar escape him, clearly displaying his massively, intimidating canines, Monica let out a short scream and darted back into the house before slamming the front door as quickly as possible and locking it after minimal fumbling. Her hands her trembling so deeply that she was sure she would never get them to stop.

Both her breathing and heart rate quickened to suck an extent that she thought she would die of a heart attack before that beast got in here. But she wasted no time in making sure that didn't happen. She then raced around to the back door and locked it as well before making sure all the windows were shut. Of course, it was obvious enough that you can't really keep evil out by locking doors, but Monica didn't know what else to do to save her little one.

For a moment, there was complete silence throughout the house and Monica could here nothing but her own heartbeat as she glanced around out of all the windows in search of any sign as to where her perpetrator had gone. But the silence didn't last long, as before she knew it, she heard another frustrated snarl from the back door as Satan realized he was barred. But he would keep trying. Monica knew it wouldn't be long before he found his way in, or broke his way in, whatever came first. She thought desperately for any ideas as to what to do. She knew she had to keep the wee one safe. No matter what. But then she suddenly realized what she had to do.

Rushing over to the phone in the kitchen, she picked it up as quickly as she could, hands still shaking violently, and paged Andrew.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Andrew was just down the street and shouldn't be long, but while she waited, Monica continued to panic in a manner of speaking. But she knew what she had to do in the mean time. Closing her eyes tightly, as if trying to block out the world around her, the angel leaned her back against the wall and tried desperately to focus on her heavenly Father above. "Almighty Father in heaven please help me. Please don't let anything happen to this wee one. Please." She begged in a whisper, but when she reopened her eyes, it seemed as though her prayer had gone unheard, for the first thing she saw was that heart-stopping face of the huge feline staring through the front room picture window.

She gasped as the lion let out another horrible roar like thunder splitting a night sky. "Oh, Andrew, please hurry." She pleaded in a voice barely above a whisper as her opponent continued to stare in at her. As she glared back into his eyes, she realized hoe determined he really was to finish this. It forced the fear to rise in her throat even more quickly. She knew that if help didn't come soon, she didn't have a chance. She decided perhaps the devil would draw back in the face of opposite power. It didn't seem very likely, but she made the decision to give it a shot. "Go away!" She screamed angrily in a tone that confirmed she really meant it. But this didn't seem to do anything at all, as he didn't flinch in the least.

But just then, Monica caught site of the glare of headlights through the window as a car pulled into the driveway. "Oh, thank God." She breathed in obvious relief and desperation as she slid her back down the wall and dropped into a sitting position on the floor.

Andrew unbuckled his seatbelt as quickly as his fingers would allow. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew it must have been serious. When his beeper went out and he checked it, it had read: 911! Help!

He had known immediately that he had to move fast, for Monica was a very brave angel and would never send a message like that unless she was some serious trouble. He was afraid it was something like she had fallen or the baby was coming far too early or something. Of course, there was the small possibility that she just suddenly realized Abby and Mike were out of iced cream, but he didn't think she would beep him with a 911 message for that.

As he quickly opened the car door and clambered out onto the driveway, he immediately headed for the front door, but suddenly something happened that he least expected. As if out of no where, a lion rounded the corner of the house and stopped when it saw Andrew, but it then roared a warning to him as it extended and retracted its claws nervously in the angel's presence.

Andrew started when he saw it and scrambled back into the car before slamming the door hastily behind him. Without much further or do, Andrew reached into the glove box and pulled forth Gloria's cell phone she had left in there. Switching it on, he quickly dialed Abby and Mike's phone number while the devil suddenly turned his attention from Monica to Andrew and approached the car tentatively. He suddenly realized what this was all about and he wanted nothing more than to get his best friend out of that house and away from any danger. Even if it meant risking his own existence to do so.

The phone hadn't even rang once before Andrew heard his friend's sweet voice answer. "Andrew?" She picked up, knowing it just had to be him since he hadn't come in the house yet. It was possible it was someone else, but she just had this feeling it was him. It had to be. To her utter relief, none other than Andrew's gentle voice replied. "Yeah it's me. Listen," he began in an urgent tone, "are you in the house?" He was sure she was, but felt the need just to make sure. Monica groaned as she glanced over her shoulder at every window in sight, just to make sure none were open or broken. "Yes, where are you?" She demanded through a frightened voice as she continued to glance around her nervously.

"I'm in the driveway." He replied in an equally solemn tone as he watched the devil stare up into the windshield in a determined manner, his golden eyes piercing up at him like a harvest moon on the darkest night in history. Monica moaned again as she felt the threat of tears tighten in her throat. But before she could say anything, Andrew continued. "Okay, you know what? I'm coming. You stay right there. I will come for you do you understand? I will come for you. Stay right there." Andrew ordered in a caring, but stern voice before pressing the END button on the cell phone before Monica could reply. She didn't want him to get in any more trouble than he was already in, but it looked like she didn't have a choice but to wait and pray that he would be all right.

Andrew tossed the phone into the passenger seat and took a deep breath. He knew what he had to do. He just had to do it. No ifs ands or buts. She was his friend and she needed help. And he meant every word he had said to her. He would come for her, no matter how dangerous that was for him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Get away from here!" Andrew commanded the enemy as he stepped out of the car bravely and stared the devil down with equal determination. The lion took one, tiny step back tentatively before taking one, small bound forward again with a dangerous roar of warning to the angel. But Andrew didn't back down. He knew that this creature could easily take one more small pounce and be upon him, but that didn't matter now. If he was meant to be taken instead of Monica, then so be it. He would be more than willing to take her place.

But just then, Monica had been watching through the front window and saw the lion bound forward. Without much thought about it, she had raced to the front door, unlocked it and hurried out on the front porch. "Andrew!" She screamed, fear for her friend ringing like sirens in her Irish lilt. When she rushed down the porch steps, the devil again, turned her attention from Andrew to Monica, knowing that now, he had them both out here and also had a great opportunity at hand.

"Monica! Get back inside! Now!" Andrew shouted in the most commanding voice he had ever used to address Monica. But she didn't move. As the mammoth cat took a few steps toward her, all she could think about was that if she went back inside now, Andrew would be left at square one outside. She could see that she had a choice to make, but Andrew made it for her. He raced around the feline and stepped in between him and Monica, spreading his arms protectively as he turned his back to her to face the lion. "Don't you dare lay a paw on her." He ordered, but again, the lion put up a fight. He roared one more time in frustration, causing both angels to start nervously. But suddenly, Andrew knew what had to be done and wondered why he hadn't thought of it before. It was simple enough.

"I command you, in the name of the almighty Father in heaven to go back to where you came from. Now! And leave her alone!" Andrew ordered in a voice so strong and powerful that it almost frightened Monica to hear it. She had never heard him quite so determined that he would yell in such a manner. The lion seemed undecided over what to do now. He knew he didn't have a choice but to leave, but he felt it necessary to roar for the millionth time as a final warning to the angels before fading away into the night, leaving nothing behind but fear. It was as though he had never been there at all.

Both Andrew and Monica felt themselves exhale a ridiculously long breath they didn't even know they were holding. Andrew sighed a breath of relief and turned to face his friend, who now had tears streaming down her face after the entire ordeal. She then, without much thought, threw her arms around Andrew's neck and sobbed into his shoulder almost uncontrollably. He allowed his arms to encircle around her back and hold her as close as her pregnant belly would allow. He kissed the top of her head tenderly and held her for several minutes, telling her all the while how much he loved her and how glad he was that this entire ordeal was over. And she held onto him so tightly that she was certain never to let go. The moment was one of love and tenderness…and thanks.

But then, quite suddenly, their sweet embrace was cut short when Monica pulled away and instead placed both hands over her stomach with a distracted expression. Andrew immediately caught sight of this and he placed a consoling hand on his friend's shoulder. "Whoa, whoa what's wrong?" He asked in a serious voice as he attempted to make eye contact with her distant gaze. But suddenly her alarmed expression turned to one of amazement and joy and an ear-to-ear grin spread across her face.

"Andrew, feel this." She commanded gently as she suddenly reached out, grasped his hand and brought it to her stomach. Andrew didn't have to wonder long what she was talking about, for suddenly he felt it. The baby was kicking! He felt it against his hand and beamed brightly in amazement. He couldn't believe it! He always knew there was a baby growing inside his friend, but now he could actually feel it! It was incredible. It was there! "Oh Monica." He breathed proudly as he pulled her into another embrace, pulling away only briefly after a minute to stare down into her beautiful face for a long moment before planting a loving kiss on her forehead. He then wrapped his arms around her once again. Four more months seemed so far away all of a sudden, and yet so close.

To be continued…Coming soon: Surrogate Angel – Part 3


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